1st-round loss would be costly for ‘Balers
Hollister – The ‘Balers have been waiting for this one for a while. Even dreaming about it.
But now that their water polo contest against arch rival Live Oak has finally arrived, they find themselves needing a win, lest that dream turn into a nightmare.
When San Benito (11-4) takes the pool at the South Valley Polo-Fest in Morgan Hill this afternoon, the team puts its pride and valuable playoff positioning on the line. And in a unusual twist, the ‘Balers also know if they don’t win their tournament opener, they may well be staring at three losses before the end of the weekend.
Should the ‘Balers defeat Live Oak (11-8) today, they would secure a semifinal berth Saturday afternoon against the Salinas–Valley Christian winner, as well as gain extra points in the Central Coast Section playoff seedings for a quality win. But should San Benito lose to the Acorns … well, the team doesn’t even want to think about that possibility.
With six prominent San Benito players scheduled to take the SAT Saturday morning, the senior-heavy ‘Balers would be forced to field a team full of substitutes at 11:45am that very morning against the Salinas-Valley Christian loser, still a potent opponent.
“We’ve got to win that game on Friday,” San Benito coach Tom Agan said. “We win or it gets ugly.”
Not that the ‘Balers need any added incentive to beat Live Oak. The Acorns were San Benito’s long-term nemesis in the Tri-County Athletic League before moving to the Blossom Valley Athletic League prior to this season. In the teams’ two meetings in 2005, Live Oak defeated the ‘Balers by one goal in the regular season, and then slipped by them again by a single score in the TCAL Championship game.
“Oh, man. I know for a fact I’ve been salivating over it for a while,” San Benito goalie Matt Thorpe said of facing the Acorns. “Losing by one point is a very frustrating thing. And then having it happen twice, you feel kind of robbed of a win.”
With payback on their minds, the ‘Balers hope that a victory over Live Oak positions them for a run to the South Valley Polo-Fest championship. “If we win, we get all our starters there in full force on Saturday,” hole guard/driver Greg Valenzuela said.
Mitty, Leland, St. Ignatius and Clovis round out the eight-team bracket. But Agan had today’s showdown with the Acorns occupying all of his attention.
“It’s huge,” Agan said. “It’s win, or die on Saturday.”
